Breidenhart is a historic castle-like house built in 1894 by
Samuel Leeds Allen
Samuel Leeds Allen (May 5, 1841 – March 28, 1918) was the founder of S.L. Allen & Company in Philadelphia. He was the inventor of, and his company manufactured, both the Flexible Flyer sled and Planet Jr farm and garden equipment. For over one h ...
and located at 255 East Main Street in
Moorestown, New Jersey
Moorestown is a township in Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia and geographically part of the South Jersey region of the state. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was ...
. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
on December 22, 1977, for its significance in art, architecture, commerce, and music.
[ With ] It was added as a
contributing property to the
Moorestown Historic District in 1990. The building is now owned by the Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey.
History
In 1894, Samuel Leeds Allen, inventor of the
Flexible Flyer
Flexible Flyer is a toy and recreational equipment brand, best known for the sled of the same name, a steerable wooden sled with steel runners.
Operation
Flexible Flyers are flexible both in design and usage. Riders may sit upright on the sl ...
sled, commissioned architect Walter Smedley to design his new residence. Allen named it Breidenhart, meaning "broad hearth stone". In 1918, after Allen's death, the house was sold to
Eldridge R. Johnson
Eldridge Reeves Johnson (February 6, 1867 in Wilmington, Delaware – November 14, 1945 in Moorestown, New Jersey) was an American businessman and engineer who founded the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1901 and built it into the leading A ...
, founder and president of the
Victor Talking Machine Company
The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...
. In 1947, after Johnson's death, it was sold to the Lutheran Home of New Jersey.
Description
The house is a two and one-half story stone building featuring
Queen Anne architecture and a polygonal corner
turret. It is located on a landscaped lot.
See also
*
References
External links
*
{{NRHP in Burlington County, New Jersey
Moorestown, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Burlington County, New Jersey
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Historic district contributing properties in New Jersey
Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Houses in Burlington County, New Jersey
Queen Anne architecture in New Jersey
Stone houses in New Jersey
Houses completed in 1894